New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1887-07-06
FARM MANAGEMENT.
The Prosperity Of Cities and vii
lagos Contrasted with That Of
the Rural Districts.
Summer the Best Season for Adding Flesh
and Fat to Animals Designed for
Market.
Town and Country Prosperity.

3
1t is matter of common remark
that the towns in nearly every state
and territory are in very prosperous
condition. A large proportion Of vest
ern cities and villages are said to be
booming" Real estate sells for more
than it has at any time since the civil
war. In many western towns the price
aas doubled since the commencement
Of the present year. Building opera
ions are extensive in most places
where there are no organized strikes of
mechanics. The public and private
buildings in course Of erection surpass
N elegance ana size those put up in
former years. In many towns good
buildings have been torn down to make
places for more costly ones. Many
new town parks have been projected
and improved, and vast sums have
been expended in grading, paving, and
identifying streets. Even in country
villages oil lamps have disappeared
from the streets and their places are
supplied with gas or electric lights.
Nursery men state that they have re-
Gently received very large orders from
town people for expensive trees, vines,
shrubs, and plants designed for orna-
mental purposes.
But with all these evidences of pros
.perity in cities and villages there are
few sights that betoken prosperity in
the farming districts of the country.
There is no boom in farming land
OF improved farms. The papers in
several eastern states report that farms
in the heighborhood of fourishing
towns can be bought for less than half
what the improvements cost. Farms
IN New York have deprecated in value
very rapidly during the time property
N towns has been advancing in price.
A large proportion of them are
zmortgaged for nearly their entire
value. In many of the older-settled
r. states of the west farms are sold for
{ 70 per cent. less than they were ten
years ago. Farming land has come to
be regarded as the poorest property a
man can invest in. It paws a yery
small dividend, and does not as il once
did, steadily increase in value.
Capitalists prefer to loan money on
town rather than on country realestate
securities. On this account farmers
pay more Tor the use of money than
city people do. Farming land is no
longer regarded as good, paying,
property.
Few public Improvements are being
made IN the country. The highway
tax is being worked OUT on the
roads, and the bridges are so repaired
as to render them comparatively safe,
but there are no such improvements on
country thoreughfares as there are on
those IN cities. People living in the
country are generally obliged to re-.
main contented with their old churche s
and school-houses, and to continue to
live in poor dwellings that are not sup
piled with '''all the modern improve
ments. Farmers have been poor
patrons of nurserymen during several
years. The trees that they have :bouoht
have not been intended to ornament
their places, but to protect them from
the snow and wind. The country trade
in carriages and musical instruments.
that was so brisk about the close of the
+ war, IS reported as very dull.
Farmers are not INDUCING in many
Injuries, for the reason that they have
not the money to pay for them, while
the prospect OF making it by the sale
Of crops and stock is very poor. Al
most every product of the farm except
horses, which are wanted in cities.
commands only a very low price.
embarrassing is no more profitable than
the production OF grain, wool, and
meat.
Why are cities and towns in a flour
.ishing condition. The advocates of the
present tariff system are prompt to as
sign protection as the cause of their
prosperity. If it is, it is fair to pre-
sumo that it IS also the cause of the
general depression in the country. The
industries that are protected against
foreign competition are not those that
are pursued by farmers, stock-euowers,
and fruit-raisers. They are obliged to
compete with the se-called '.pauper la
Dor in every country in the whole
world. Tariff laws can not be framed
that would protect their industries ar
insure them high price for their pro-
ducts. They produce much more of
evrey article than can be consumed in
this country, and the price of nearly
every thing they sell is fixed in foreign
markets that are open to the whole
world. The increase in the price Of
labor in all the protected industries re-
suits in making the wages of farm la
borers high, though it does not serve
to raise the price Of farn product. It
also adds to the cost of every manufae-
tuEed article the farmer has to -buy. he
it clothesaline OF hay rake, bootiack
ortmowing machine.
Shutting out manufactured articles
produced in other countries. as the pro-
teetiYe tariff daes, compells many of
the people of these countries to leave
manufacturing for farming, stock-rais-
ing. and Wool-grswing. If there is not
room at home to engage in these indus
tries. they go to sparseiy -settled por-
tons of the world to pursue chem.
Then theu hecnnG cora1,a it<,,a 1870